The Ranger, the Wizard and the Prince
by Meddwl
Summary: One-shot. The Fellowship's first night out of Rivendell many things come to light. Legolas is laughing, Gandalf is blushing and Aragorn is in fear of life and limb...or is he. A light-hearted tale of the Nine Walkers.


Pippin flopped down on the dead grass on the outskirts of Rivendell as Sam's pack dropped with a painful sounding clank of pots and pans. Frodo and Merry were talking quietly about something even Pippin's sharp ears couldn't catch.

As he looked up Gandalf Aragorn and Legolas drifted apart having seemingly come to some decision. Legolas and Aragorn began stacking dead branches into neat pile ready for lighting. Pippin's eyes narrowed, for an odd look had come over the Elf's fair face and Pippin felt sure it was the Elven equivalent to a certain expression he had seen on Merry's face on more than one memorable occasion.

As Aragorn reached for his tinderbox the Elf stood and turned away a half-smile curving his lips. His mouth moved soundlessly for a moment but nothing happened. Pippin looked back at Aragorn, he was opening his tinderbox when the wood came alight with a sudden rush making Pippin's mouth drop open.

Everyone except Legolas and Gandalf stared at the Dunedain who had started back slightly, the tinderbox laying unused in his hands though the leaping flames seemed to belay that fact.

"I did nothing" protested Aragorn after a moment of glaring at the cheery fire, "The Dunedain are known for many things but lighting fires with a word is not one of them."

Several heads swiveled towards Gandalf who promptly shook his head with a smile.

"Lighting fires with a word?" asked Sam, "That sounds like something out of Mister Bilbo's stories."

And something suddenly came together for Pippin though he had not paid quite Frodo and Sam's attention the stories.

"Legolas was whispering something" he declared boldly looking about for the Elf. There was no sign of him, only Aragorn and Gandalf exchanging a knowing grin.

"That was Elvish magic?" questioned Sam a look of wonder on his face.

"That was Elven trickery and ostentation" clarified Aragorn though the laughter in his eyes said differently, "By a certain woodland prince who is far too clever for his own good!"

"Woodland what?" asked Merry.

"Prince…" returned Aragorn his voice trailing off into silence, "Ai, I am surely dead for there is no better archer among the elves and he will not be happy. He ordered me to not speak of it."

"Legolas is an Elven prince?" began Boromir at the same time as Gimli.

"That is the Prince of Mirkwood?" grumbled Gimli, "That capricious Elf-child is the son of the Elvenking?"

"Yes" muttered Aragorn, "Only don't call Eryn Galen Mirkwood, the Woodelves are rather touchy about their forest."

"For an experienced and redoubtable ranger, you have rather put your foot in it, Strider!" said Gandalf with youthful flash of anticipation in his deep eyes.

"Everyone can just forget that I ever said anything" suggested Aragorn hopefully, "What he knows not cannot hurt him."

"Oh, I don't know" interjected a fair and clear voice from the edge of the camp, "Keeping secrets is often harmful among close companions."

Aragorn squared his shoulders and looked the Elf in the eye. Legolas' eyes were gleaming mischievously in the dim light and Aragorn shivered slightly. He had seen that look before, both as a child and an adult.

"A capricious Elf-child am I?" he asked sweetly pinning Gimli with the full force of an Elven glare. Gimli paled slightly though he managed to keep a defiant look on his face.

The Elf turned to Gandalf, "The Elf-child has found nothing of note about the camp, we should be safe here for the night."

"Tithen ernil…" began Gandalf, a most un-wizardly smirk beneath his long grey bread. Legolas' eyes flashed and then cleared.

"A meal is order I believe" he said airily much to the hobbit's relief. Frodo had actually been worried for a moment having enough Sindarin to understand. He was extremely surprised when the prince dropped the matter though he expected that this not the end.

Legolas' face was far too innocent for one merely helping him and Sam cook dinner.

It was a good meal, warm and filling and it was a comfortable and mellow company that sat about the fire as the distant stars appeared.

"Tell us a tale of the Woodelves" asked Sam suddenly, Legolas' eyes brightened. This was far too easy, not that he harbored any real grudge against the wizard and the ranger. Though as far as he was concerned they both deserved to squirm a bit.

He affected an air of deep concentration as though seeking a suitable memory.

"Ah, I recall an old tale some fifty years past…" he began smiling. Aragorn groaned and Gandalf turned an astonishing shade of scarlet most unsuitable to a wise Istar.

"As you may know the Greenwood is beset by many dangers these days though once it was fair and free throughout. Only in the North is the darkness still kept at bay by the bow and blade of my kin. The worst of these enemies are the great spiders…"

The hobbits shivered, spiders where not a favorite of any of them.

"They are foul beasts with no thought save to rend and tear, and stand taller than a hobbit. All who come to the Greenwood should know of the danger but oddly some still are careless and foolishly let the spiders take them…"

Gandalf snorted and there was a decidedly vicious noise from the direction of Aragorn that sounded vaguely like "Watch your step mellon nin!"

"On this fair day a few years ago, a normally wise old traveler and a young ranger decided to brave the perils of the forest for some reason still unknown to me. Instead of guarding carefully against the evil spiders they were merry and grew careless.

It was not long before an Elven patrol heard sounds of a struggle in the distance and coming swiftly found several spiders clacking happily about fresh meat. At their feet lay the wise one and his young friend thoroughly coated in the spider webbing…"

"That is an exaggeration!" snapped Aragorn, "I had a few strands of the webs in my hair, it was Gandalf who the spiders got!"

Surprised glances flicked between the Dunedain and the Istar while Legolas lay back and laughed merrily.

"But that was long ago" started Merry, "Strider can't be that old surely! And you do not look more than twenty years old or so."

"We are both older than we look" smiled the Elf.

"You were caught the spiders?" chuckled Boromir, "Mithrandir caught by the dreaded Mirkwood spiders…"

"If you do not want to find yourself going about on eight legs young Boromir" growled the wizard, "Find something else to amuse you. And you penneth take care."

"I don't believe that would work on an Elf" retorted Legolas smugly, "You were always threatening to turn me into things, frogs, a horse, a buck and now spiders…"

Gandalf said nothing but Aragorn turned on the prince his eyes alight, "And I wonder where you where mellon nin while we were braving the evils of your forest to visit you?"

Legolas' grin vanished.

"I was wounded and unable to stand" he said defensively.

"But not from any great battle in the forest" pointed out Gandalf, "What was it? The best archer in Eryn Galen surprised by an arrow from an Elfling?"

The prince grimaced, "They were not allowed to carry a bow, it was lucky that they did no more harm than shooting me by accident."

"What's that Elf prince?" asked Gimli, "Even the Elf children shoot you? What had you done to irritate them?"

"I believe he was singing to the trees…" said Aragorn.

"Doing what?"

"Singing to the trees?"

"There is much that you do not know of the valiant Prince of Eryn Galen, dear friends" began Gandalf blatantly ignoring the murderous look Legolas was directing at him.

"Let me enlighten you in the ways of our Elven comrade…"


End file.
